Quicksand
by Softwhitefuzzy
Summary: Allison stood in the doorway of her room, fidgeting with the fabric on her sweatshirt. Last night had been another in a string of restless nights. Even after her daily workouts with her dad, Allison just couldn't get comfortable in her room. "Maybe I'll sleep on the couch tonight."


This is my entry for the Teen Wolf Fanfiction contest. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Allison stood in the doorway of her room, fidgeting with the fabric on her sweatshirt. Last night had been another in a string of restless nights. Even after her daily workouts with her dad, Allison just couldn't get comfortable in her room. "Maybe I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

"What was that honey?" Chris asked coming up behind her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Allison smiled, her face feeling tight and wooden at the motion and said, "Nothing." She opened her mouth thinking maybe now they could talk. The tension in the air was sure to shake the house apart. Not that it was any better being outside of the house.

Her cell phone rang, cutting her words off. Allison shook her head, hair falling around her now closed mouth and smiled at her Dad again. "I better get that."

She picked up her cell phone, her chest heavy as she saw the name of the caller. It was Scott.

She hit accept. "Hello Scott."

Allison wondered if her voice sounded tired to him.

"Hey! I was wondering if you'd like to get together today or something." His warm voice shock like a puppy that'd just stopped chasing its tail and thought of a new game to play. It was something she had loved about him.

Allison still loved him, but there was just so much standing between them they needed to break through. And after she told him that she needed time, calling to hang out wasn't giving her that space.

"I was going to give Lydia a call to see if she wanted to go to the mall." While it wasn't the complete truth, it wasn't a lie either. Allison knew she needed to repair that relationship as well. She hoped it be easier.

"Okay, well give me a call later if you change your mind!" Scott's voice sounded a bit too ecstatic to her. He wasn't taking the separation well.

Allison ended the call and stared at the home screen. Quickly she pressed Lydia's contact number before she lost her nerve. She paced while it rang.

"Hello?"

Allison bounced. "Hi Lydia, I know it's been awhile, but I was wondering if you'd like to come to the mall with me today." The mall was a safe neutral place where they didn't have to talk about past events. She sucked her breath in anticipation.

There was a small silence that drifted through the line before Allison heard her reply, "Sure, I have to stop at the jewelry store there. Jackson ordered a new chain for me and he just got the call it was in."

Her breath came out in a rush, "Great, I'll meet you there in an hour?"

A deeper voice drifted through the phone line, Lydia was with Jackson. "Sure, an hour sounds find." There was a click and silence filled the line.

Allison felt the smile slip from her face as she lowered the phone. She needed to change.

That proved difficult. Except for her work-out clothes, it was hard finding something that didn't remind her of her mother or grandfather. There was a red shirt that held no meaning, but Allison thought it was too bright and the basic black tank was too dark. Spying a plain white t-shirt, she pulled that and a pair of jeans on.

She walked to her dad's room and knocked on the closed door. She tilted her head, listening for movement inside. Hearing nothing, she slipped inside. Quickly she darted to the closet and grabbed at the first flannel she spied, avoiding her mother's still full side.

She slipped it on, loving the way it folded around her like a comforting hug. Smiling, she darted back to her room to finish. Now she just had to get out of the house without her dad seeing that she'd stolen his clothes.

It proved to be easier than she thought. He was in the study, so she just popped her head around. "Going to the mall with Lydia, I'll be back in a little bit."

He turned and said, "I'm glad to see you getting out. Have fun."

"I will," she promised. Hopefully it would be one she could keep.

All too soon she was parked and leaving her car to head inside of the mall.

"Allison!"

She turned, seeing Lydia getting out of her car a few spots over. Heart pounding a bit she walked over. "Hey."

"Hello yourself," said Lydia as she got out of her car.

Allison noticed that Lydia was dressed a bit differently, seemly a bit softer in a large white sweater with her hair pulled to the side. She seemed happier and generally less cold than when Allison first met her. Allison was glad that someone came out of all of this happy.

Tripping on a small rock, she steadied herself on Lydia's car, which wasn't actually her car, but Jackson's Porsche.

Lydia tilted her head, eyes wide, "Be careful." Though her words were directed towards Allison's fall, it was clear that they meant more than just right now. Allison had to be careful around Lydia because their friendship was strained, pulled taunt and tight and about to break.

"I will be." Allison knew she couldn't afford to lose these people. Though they'd only been in her life for a short year, what a year it'd been. Though she may have started being Lydia's friend to keep an eye on her, she genuinely liked her. "So what's this about a necklace?"

They started towards the mall doors slowly.

Allison turned her head and saw a shy smile on Lydia's face. It made her lips turn up as well.

"He bought me a titanium rope chain for his house key. He even had them take the clasp off to make it a seamless chain so it wouldn't come off by accident." Lydia reached out and opened the door, leaning on it slightly as Allison walked through.

"That's so romantic," Allison's voice trailed off as she saw Scott and Stiles standing near the large stone fountain in the mall while Isaac sat on the edge playing in the water.

Lydia looked up and then back at Allison, "I take it we weren't supposed to run into them?"

She clenched her fist then turned to Lydia whispering furiously, "I told him that I needed time; to calm down and to not feel like I'm about to fall headfirst over a cliff." She glanced over and saw that Stiles had noticed them, waving his arms wildly.

Lydia touched the back of Allison's arm murmuring, "We can just go."

Allison looked at Scott. After everything they'd gone through, she really did miss him. All she wanted to do was run into his arms and stay there, but that would mean slipping back into her old persona. Not standing up and becoming her own person, someone she could be proud to be. One that she hoped would still be with Scott.

She glanced uneasily back towards the doors and saw familiar twin leather jackets. "Well, the gangs all here."

They walked over to the boys.

"Hello ladies! Scott said we'd run into you two today." Stiles smiled wide.

Allison felt her anger rise. "Scott."

He flinched and back slapped at Stiles, pushing him back slightly. "Sorry, I just wanted to hang out with you."

Folding her arms around herself Allison said, "I told you that I needed space."

Scott stepped forward, "But that doesn't mean we still can't be friends, can't hang out with each other. I miss you." He looked around a bit, as if he was a little embarrassed to be saying all this in front of the others.

"Didn't need that much space when you were knifing Isaac in the guts," a deep voice came from behind them. Boyd stood hand in hand with Erica.

"Guys, not here." Stiles came forward, hands held out. "Can't we go somewhere and talk about all this? We all have issues with everyone else here."

"That'd be like throwing stones in a shattered glass house where everyone is already bleeding out." Lydia remarked, moving closer to Allison, "But he's right, this isn't the time or the place."

Isaac leaned forward, shaking his hands free of the water, "Yeah besides," he sniffed slightly, "I think it's that time of the month, wouldn't want anyone getting too emotional."

Stiles laughed.

Allison jutted her jaw out and turned to look at them, she saw Lydia do the same out of the corner of her eye. "What do you mean by that?"

"Yeah Isaac, I'd like to know that too," Erica said as she came to stand in line with Allison and Lydia.

Lydia raised her hand to look at her nails, "Do you mean to tell me that you think we can't think rationally every month because of a simple biological function? That way of thinking is right up there with you thinking that you're somehow better than me because our reproductive organs are slightly different."

Isaac just sat back, his eyes wide.

Stiles jumped in, "I'm sure that's not what he meant. It's just that sometimes it can be hard."

"Don't even finish that sentence Stilinski or we'll have a repeat of your car and the dumpster one night soon." Erica threatened.

Scott stepped forward, "Allison, I'm sorry. I just wanted to see you."

Allison fluttered her eyes, "Well that's too bad because apparently I'm a bit mindless now that it's that time of the month. Better wait a few days." She turned around and started for the mall exit.

Lydia came up on her left side, "Men are such idiots."

"You mean boys," Erica said as she sauntered on Allison's left side.

"We should just, get out off here and go somewhere, watch a movie and eat some junk food. No boys allowed." Allison pushed heavily at the door. She held the door for the other two as they walked through.

"Actually I have an even better idea." Lydia led the way to Jackson's car, "Have you seen The Notebook?"

* * *

Allison sat on the somewhat new couch that graced the old Hale house watching the movie, knowing that it was the last place Scott would think to look for them. It seemed that Peter and Derek were using fixing-up the house as a bonding project. It wasn't such a burnt out shell as it had been.

Footsteps sounded from the porch and the door opened as someone came walked in the room and stopped. All three girls turned in unison towards him and yelled, "Boys suck!"

Derek turned towards the television and raised an eyebrow. "I'll make you some popcorn." He walked off towards the kitchen.

Allison turned back to the TV. She couldn't help the churn in her gut from seeing Derek, but it was no longer the burning rage she'd felt. Allison didn't feel the need to kill him. Nothing had been resolved, between her and Scott, her and Allison or even her and Erica, but after this afternoon she no longer like she was sinking in quicksand.


End file.
